Diet Pepsi Vanilla vs. Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero

Both of the two prolific beverage companies almost always release their variety of the others' extension, whether it's an orange soda, caffeinated citrus energy soda, or flavoured cola. Some succeed and are remembered, but most are oft forgotten and replaced by some other similar tasting drink. And today we're going to compare the two big wigs vanilla based aberrations of their most known product.

Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero's can is wholly different from Diet Pepsi Vanilla's, almost as if they're trying to be opposite. One's white, the other is black, and the actual graphical characteristics conflict. Coke's cluttered design reminds me much of Moxie's modern insignia, which isn't exactly a compliment despite my enjoyment of the bitter Maine favourite. Pepsi's visual appearance takes a more modern approach then does Coke's, with sleek images of vanilla orchids and it's largely barren environment. The personally preferred can is obviously then of latter, even if neither can does much to excite me, and actually, the real kicker is the smoother name "Diet Pepsi Vanilla," opposed to the stumbling "Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero."

Diet Vanilla Coke, as it should be called, tastes of a poorly balanced vanilla injection into the classic cola flavour. There's no sense of creaminess as it battles across the tongue, only a harshly carbonated and improperly sweetened vanillin tinted fluid. It doesn't display any sort of depth, and instead of complementing the expected cola flavour it vapors over and chokes it from becoming actually detected. The Diet Pepsi Vanilla, on the other hand, goes for a cream soda inspired experience that's well crafted, especially compared to the former. The milkiness is thick and is initially just safe from being too rich, and the sweetness is defined and appropriately strong. The deeper flavour profile makes it far more pleasurable than it's counterpart, but both end up being quite a chore to fully finish, albeit for different reasons. Coke's chemical vanilla flavour is exceptionally unsavory, where as Pepsi's buttery mouth feel soon becomes too much. Overall, Pepsi clearly offers the better vanilla cola of the two, but you're better off choosing something else to drink.

official site

official site